Shameless (14 page)

Her expression changed, hardened a bit. “At the risk of sounding ungrateful, I need to tell you I’m not in this for the pleasure. My sole purpose is to become pregnant. I want to be clear about that.”

He leaned onto his forearms. “At the risk of sounding— hell, I don’t care how it sounds. I
am
in this for the pleasure, beautiful. Call me selfish, but I’m telling you right now I intend to exact every bit of pleasure out of our time together as is humanly possible.
I
want to be clear about
that
.”

Sam couldn’t help the slow tingle of excitement that traveled up her spine. She had a sudden vision of twisted sheets, sweat-drenched bodies, tangled arms and legs, and hot, hot kisses…

Thank goodness for her sanity’s sake their meals arrived just then. As they ate, she got back to the business at hand and gave him the questionnaire she’d prepared, as well as the list of blood work he’d need done.

He gave it a perfunctory glance and said, “It’s only fair I know
your
medical history, too. I mean, for all I know, you could be crawling with—”

She slapped an envelope onto the table between them, effectively slapping that expression off his handsome face. “Way ahead of you, Everest.”

“John.”

She smiled a flat smile. “John.” She pulled the contract from her briefcase. “You might want to have your lawyer look this over before you sign it, but basically all it says is you agree to relinquish your rights as the baby’s father. That I will have sole custody and you won’t be responsible for child support, and some other legal mumbo jumbo. It’s pretty clear, but like I said, you might want to—”

John held up his hand. “I get it.” He reached for the contract, gave it a quick onceover set it with the rest of the paperwork on the bench beside him. “Okay. So, when do we get started?” He raised and lowered his eyebrows.

“Well, it depends, of course, on how fast you get the paperwork back to me. And also if you, uh, pass.”

After they’d eaten, John gave her a ride back to her office, since she’d taken the bus to the restaurant. He pulled into the bus zone in front of the
Statesman
building and let the car idle. “I’ll call you when I’ve finished with those,” he said, nodding to the papers in the back seat. “It’ll probably take a few weeks to get everything you need.”

“Okay. Thanks.” She gave him a small smile then reached for the door.

He touched her arm. “Sam, wait.”

She sat back in her seat, expecting another question about the agreement or her fertility schedule. Instead, he hooked his fingers around her neck and pulled her toward him.

She stopped him with a firm hand on his shoulder. “What are you doing?”

His lips curved into a sexy smile. “Getting a head start on things.”

Before she could object, his mouth closed over hers. This time, she wasn’t caught so off guard she couldn’t respond. She fully intended to push him away, she really did, but the kiss was too skillful, too tempting. It was even better than the last one. Before she knew it, she was kissing him back. Hard.

If it wasn’t for the bus that honked at them for being in its path, Sam didn’t know where that kiss might have led.
Thank you, Metro
, she thought as they broke the embrace. With a frazzled look at John, she scurried out of his car.
Dear Lord, what have I gotten myself into
?

Chapter 7

“Holy hell, man. What have you gotten yourself into?” Alex planted his massive form in the middle of John’s office, like a bull about to charge.

John didn’t look up from the papers he was signing. “How do you
really
feel, Drake?” He’d known Alex would be floored by the news he was going to help Sam have a baby.

“Hey, it’s your life.”

“Don’t worry. I can handle it.” He organized the stack of papers, slipped them into a manila envelope and set the package in his OUT box for Margo.

“All I’m saying is
I
couldn’t help someone have a baby unless I was gonna be raisin’ the kid, you know what I’m saying?”

“Well, you and I are different. You’re looking to settle down and have a house full of kids. I’m not.”

“I just don’t understand why you agreed to help her.”

“Because I owe her.”

“But, John-boy. All your fears about— Remember how you were after Kate’s miscarriage? I mean—”

“This isn’t the same. This will be
Sam’s
child. Not mine. I’ll have nothing to do with it.” He glanced up and met Alex’s eyes, silently telling him the discussion was over.

“Okay, okay. I get it.” He gave John a wicked smile. “So I guess your only responsibility is to give Sam the high hard one for a few months, eh?”

“Kiss my ass, Drake.”

Alex swung toward the doorway. “No, that’s her job now.” His high-pitched chuckle echoed down the corridor as he strolled away.

Sam blotted her lipstick with a tissue and perused her reflection in the motel mirror. After fluffing out a couple of flat spots in her hair and rubbing a smudge of lipstick off her teeth, she surveyed her clothing — a leopard-print catsuit and black stiletto ankle boots laced up the front. She’d debated with herself about wearing something more low-key. She looked like a woman about to have a clandestine rendezvous with her lover. Of course, that wasn’t the case. John Everest was not, and would never be, her lover in the romantic sense of the word. As crass as it sounded, he was only going to be a sex partner, a means to an end. No emotional entanglements. Which was why she chose this outfit. She didn’t want to look
anything
like a woman you’d bring home to Mother.

The butterflies in her stomach had been fluttering ever since John had surprised her at the office this morning, slapping a manila envelope onto her desk.

“What’s that?” she’d asked.

“Everything you wanted. Questionnaire, signed contract, test results.” He perched on the edge of her desk, one muscular thigh resting atop. He wore a plain gray sweat suit, a style and color she’d always found extremely boring and unflattering. Until now. The way the sporty fleece draped his muscularity and tight buns had her pulse pounding in some intimate areas. He looked good enough to lick up one side and down the other.

“Boy, th-that was fast,” she said, her heart racing. It had been barely two weeks since she’d given him all the information.

“I was inspired.” He stared at her with that intensely arrogant look. God, it was sexy. “So, you free tonight?”

“Tonight?”

He nodded. “You told me your next fertile time started…” he pointed to the calendar on the corkboard behind her desk, “today.”

Tonight
?
My God. He wants to sleep with me tonight
? Images of his slick, naked body pressed against hers in the heat of passion washed over her.
It’s too soon. I don’t know him well enough
. She took a deep breath to still her racing pulse and cleared her throat. “I suppose tonight will work.”

They decided to meet at a motel, even though John thought it made more sense to meet at one of their homes where they’d be more comfortable. Sam knew she wouldn’t be comfortable anywhere with him, but especially not at his place or hers. She needed to keep things impersonal. No complications.

Before he’d left the
Statesman
offices, she’d walked him out to the reception area. Then, in front of the front desk, a couple of customers, and with the whole news room behind her, he’d kissed her. It wasn’t the typical good-bye peck on the lips, but a full-blown, knock-your-socks off kind of kiss that left her breathless.

“Foreplay,” he’d whispered in her ear, before letting her go.

She’d been so flustered throughout his entire visit, it hadn’t occurred to her to tell him she needed to review the questionnaire and test results. She’d just spontaneously agreed to meet him, which was unlike her to be so flaky. After he’d left — after that kiss,
whew
! — she’d looked over his paperwork, and with nervous anticipation mixed with a fair amount of dread, she’d seen everything was more than satisfactory.

That had been this morning. She glanced again at her reflection in the motel mirror, then left the bathroom to sit on one of the beds and wait. The butterflies in her stomach were in a frenzy now. Someone knocked at the door. Crossing the room, she put her hand on the doorknob, which was cold on her sweaty palm. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

John stood on the threshold, a bottle of wine in one hand and a single red rose in the other. “Hi,” he said, grinning. His gaze roved over her catsuit. “Meow.”

Seeing what he held she asked, “What’s this? More foreplay?”

He chuckled. “Something like that.”

She pressed her lips together. “You know, Everest—” She held up her hand and sighed. “
John
. Sorry. I hope you realize just because we’re going to be…” she rowed the air between them with her hand, “…having sex, doesn’t mean we’re going to be…”

He held out the rose. She took it, suspending her breath a moment as his fingers lingered against hers. “Don’t worry, beautiful. I know the score.”

She held the door wide. “Come on in.”

His body rustled against hers as he passed into the room. He looked good. He’d changed into a deep purple shirt and blue jeans. He really was a handsome man. Her butterflies did the jitterbug. He’ll make a cute baby, she thought, forcing her mind back to their purpose in being here.

She realized John watched her. How should she do this? “Well, we both know why we’re here.” She reached for the zipper on her catsuit. His hands stopped her.

“Whoa there, beautiful,” he said, amusement coloring his voice. His eyes twinkled. “As anxious as I am to get you undressed, I had something else in mind first.” He released her hands and picked up the wine he’d deposited on the table by the window. “I forgot glasses. Are there any here?”

Sam crossed to the bathroom and returned with a paper-sealed water glass. “There’s just this one.”

“That’s okay. We can share.” His gaze roved lazily over her and Sam’s breath caught. He popped the cork and peeled off the paper seal on the glass. She could have done that, but felt rather dazed. He showed her the bottle. “Is this okay?”

“Hmm, what?”

“The wine. It’s a Riesling from the Ste. Michelle winery.”

Her eyes focused on the elegant label on the bottle. “Oh. Yes. That’s fine.”

He grinned and filled the glass with the clear golden liquid. “Shall I make a toast?”

She snapped out of her daze. “No. Look, John. I know what you’re trying to do. And it’s… sweet. But none of this is necessary. You don’t need to seduce me. You already know you’re going to get lucky.”

He burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

Still chuckling, he said, “You are. You’ve got to be the most straightforward woman I’ve ever met. As to the seducing part, maybe I’m the one requiring a little seduction. So, play along, okay?”

She couldn’t help smiling. She accepted the wine from him and downed most of it in one gulp.

He took back the glass, peering at her through narrowed eyes. “Nervous?”

Her first thought was to deny it, but he would know she was lying. “A little. Aren’t you?”

He shook his head and poured more wine, taking a drink before saying, “Relax. It’s going to be great with us. You’ll see.”

“It just seems so— I mean, we hardly know each other.”

“Sure we do. We even know each other’s blood type.”

She just stared at him a minute, then they both laughed. “You really don’t find this awkward?”

“Not at all. I do this kind of thing all the time.”

She slapped his arm. “John, I’m being serious. I haven’t made it a practice in my life to have… casual sex.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

She cleared her throat. “What I’m trying to say is—” She made a frustrated sound through her teeth. “You and I have barely kissed before, yet here we are—”

“We can remedy that,” John said softly. Before she could figure out his intent, he’d hooked an arm around her waist and pulled her close.